


A Perfect Family by the Sea

by saccharinepeccadillo



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Ficlet, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Physical Abuse, Rescue Mission, Smoking, spousal abuse, the rape isnt super graphic but it definitely happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 11:35:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11184264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saccharinepeccadillo/pseuds/saccharinepeccadillo
Summary: I don't really feel like there's a lot of content with Merle especially in the angst department and I always love to shove my problems onto fictional characters soI also want to understand Merle more I guess and try to relate to him more? Yeah here's a short ficlet where I make Merle's life 100 times worse maybe who knows





	A Perfect Family by the Sea

Hekuba was drunk, and if there was one thing Merle was sure of in his life, it's that when she was drunk, bad things were sure to happen. She had been yelling at him about something, throwing things and smashing precious items against the walls and floor, but Merle wasn’t sure what she was angry about. He was trying to stay as still and as calm as possible, not responding for fear that he would say something wrong and anger her further, as had happened countless times when he had first met her. His mind was somewhere else, trying to escape the situation, when the first blow landed, catching him off guard and sending him reeling towards the floor. She was screaming at him, whaling on him like she had never done before, and it took everything within Merle to stop himself from crying out. He forced himself to take it, to not resist, praying that it would end soon.  
When she got up and headed towards Mavis' room, though, a switch flipped and he was on his feet before he knew what he was doing. Her door was already open, but Hekuba had not raised her fists yet. Instead she was taunting a trembling Mavis. "You're a worthless girl, Mavis, I wish I hadn't had you, you're a stupid bastard child, I hope you die in your sleep, you-" Merle pushed Hekuba aside and rushed into Mavis' room, slamming the door behind him before Hekuba could come in and shoving a chair under the handle. He shakily pulled a small knife out of a hidden pocket, holding onto the handle with both hands defensively. Mavis stared at the scene in front of her, shocked and unmoving.   
"Leave her alone, Hekuba! You're drunk!" Mavis and Merle held their breath as they watched the door handle rattle a couple more times and heard a few more angry shouts from the other side of the door, before finally there were footsteps moving away from them. Once they knew they were safe, Merle dropped the knife to the floor and flew across the room towards Mavis' bed, scooping her up into his arms protectively. Although she was crying, she made no sound, careful to not draw attention from any outside forces.   
"You're safe now, Mave. I've got you."   
-  
Hekuba was all over him, and he hated it. He had tried to push her off when she had first started advancing on him, becoming more and more desperate when his defenses didn't work. He had landed a hard kick to her stomach, but had been swiftly punished with a few blows to his face, making him disoriented and weak. When she had overpowered him and he couldn’t use his body to defend himself anymore, he had tried pleading with her, whispering for forgiveness and for mercy. She had looked down at him coldly, with a malicious grin and a sadistic glimmer in her eye. "I thought men wanted this. I'm your wife, after all." She had stuck her hand down his pants and yanked violently, and although Merle felt so desperately like crying, he found himself going numb to all outside stimuli, taking it painfully as she continued her torture.   
After the heinous act and after Hekuba had fallen asleep, Merle snuck out and kneeled in the sand, covered in bruises and scrapes, and dripping with liquids he didn’t want to think about in places he didn’t want to acknowledge. He had prayed for the entire night for a miscarriage, pleading with Pan to not punish another life with the presence of Hekuba, but Pan was rarely known to be kind to Merle.   
-  
The night he ran was one of the few that were calm. He had tucked Mavis and Mookie into bed, regret and love overtaking him all at once, but being careful to not give anything away to his children. He knew Mavis knew though, because she always knew, but she had been gracious and kind enough to not say anything to Hekuba or Mookie. As Mookie dozed off, Merle had leaned close to Mavis, gripping her small hand tightly. "Don't be afraid to come to me for help, Mavis. I'll always be here for you." (I love you.) She had squeezed back as hard as she could, a conspiring smile dancing across her melancholy features. "Don't do anything stupid, old man." (I love you too.)   
He was halfway out the door when he heard Hekuba slam her hand against the wall by his head with her fist. He froze, feeling her hot breath on his neck. "Where do you think you're going?" Everything inside Merle was telling him to run and hide, but he held his ground. If there was one instance where he had to be smart in his life, it was this. "I'm just heading out to buy cigarettes." There was silence for an uncomfortably long time, and Merle held his breath. He heard Hekuba chuckle. "Be back before midnight. I have things planned for you." With that there was a shove at his back, and as he fell into the sand he heard the front door slam behind him, rattling the window panes. Before leaving he took one last look at his children’s bedroom window. It was dark, but he thought he might have made out Mavis' gaunt face. Before he could dwell on it any longer, he took off at a sprint towards the woods, finally letting the tears flow after years of repression. As he ran he prayed to Pan to have mercy on Mavis and Mookie.   
Sometimes, but only sometimes, Pan was kind to Merle.  
-  
After many long talks with Angus, and a few talks with Davenport and Lucretia, Merle had made his decision, and he, Magnus and Taako set out. Merle had not told his team mates the situation, but they had still jumped at the opportunity to go adventuring, for which Merle was grateful for.   
They operated in the middle of the night, and when Magnus and Taako saw Mavis and Mookie’s sleeping bodies, they seemed to know. Without a word, each of his team mates gently picked up each child, and the five of them made back off into the night, never to be heard of by Hekuba again.


End file.
